Recycled PET-derived powders as sustainable materials for latent fingerprint development

Latent fingerprint detection is essential in forensic investigations, as fingerprints often represent key evidence at crime scenes. While traditional chemical and physical methods provide good results on conventional surfaces such as metal, paper, and glass, current research is increasingly focused on the development of new sustainable materials, particularly those derived from waste, in order to promote environmentally friendly forensic approaches. In this study, powders derived from recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were produced using three PET depolymerization procedures, and glycolysis was identified as the most effective method based on the properties of the obtained products. This approach was then applied to three types of PET packaging materials. The resulting PET-based powders were tested for latent fingerprint visualization and compared with commercially available powders. The results demonstrated good sensitivity, contrast, and fingerprint quality comparable to routinely used forensic powders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of PET-based materials being converted into powders for latent fingerprint examination. The study highlights the potential of recycled PET powders as cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternatives to commercial fingerprint powders, supporting both forensic applications and circular economy principles.